The Finish Line
by uselessid90
Summary: Street racing is a lot like love. You win some, you lose some, and you wreck some. Rated M.
1. The End

**Prologue**

There's nothing that can compare to the feeling of crossing that finish line. That barely-there line of spray paint that lets me finally relax in my seat. Nothing compares.

Except her. She...she is so much more than an adrenaline rush.

Racing is the only thing I've ever known. The only thing I've ever had a passion for. The only thing I ever cared about enough to _try. _But, I would give that shit up for her. I _did _give it up for her.

When I think about the past 10 years of my life, I get a knot in my throat that I can't swallow away. It pricks and burns and my hands start shaking a little.

When I think about her, I melt a little on the inside. The hard exterior gives away to something else, something bigger than me. Some emotion I can't control. And honestly, I have no desire to control it anymore.

I stopped fighting it a long time ago. I stopped second guessing myself and her and what we could be. I just let it take over. I let it grow inside me until I wasn't sure why I fought it all those years. I couldn't remember why I ever made us suffer the way I did. Why would anyone want to deny themselves this feeling?

...

"Edward!"

Someone's yelling my name but I don't know where it's coming.

"Edward!"

My head snaps to the left and I see Jasper jogging toward me. I look around for her but don't see her face in the crowd. My chest gets a little tight. It does it all on it's own, I can't stop it anymore. She's not in the immediate vicinity and my heart knows it.

There are people everywhere. All of the cars are surrounded, including my own now, it's chaos. Everyone is smiling though, even the guys I just beat. Every single face on this street is lit up right now.

"What's up, man?" I smile but it's not the big one. It's the halfy and my face feels a little tight.

"Dude, you fuckin' smoked 'em!" Jasper's smile it huge. It takes up his whole face and his eyes are glassy. I know he's probably wondering why I'm not freaking out.

I chuckle a little at his enthusiam. I wish I still got that excited over racing. It's just not the same anymore. I still race. I don't think I'll ever stop, but it's not like it used to be.

"Where's Bella?" I cut to the chase.

"Uhhmm, she's around her somewhere." His neck strains while he looks at the crowd. "She's probably making her way over here."

I strain my own neck looking over the crowd, I don't see her. My chest gets a little tighter, if that's possible. She should be here right now, right next to me. We should be celebrating and figuring out where we're going to go for drinks after this.

"Babe!" I hear her way before I see her.

That voice. Like something out of one of my dreams. Just angels and harps and all that other bullshit that comes with love.

I smile automatically when I see her. The big smile this time. I can't even control it anymore.

"Babe!" She sees me now and she wears the same smile that I am right now. It's big and touches the corners of her eyes and I know my cheeks will be hurting by the end of the night.

When she gets to me, her smile gets a little bigger, if that's even possible.

"That last turn was a little wide, babe." I laugh at her critique. It doesn't bother me one bit. Anyone else and I would be arguing right back. But not her. Because I know that when she says that shit, it's right from the heart. I know what I've put her through to get to this moment. So when she says shit about my driving, my racing, I know that she's trying to fit herself into my world just a little bit more than she already is. Trying to understand me and all the shit in my head and be a part of it.

"I know, baby. I know." My arm finds her shoulder and I lean in for a kiss.


	2. Before the Beginning

**A/N: For anyone that may have read the prologue, I went back and corrected some spelling/grammar errors. If you'd like, you can re-read. Otherwise, onward! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. And, no beta. Please don't rake me over the coals. **

**Chapter 1**

My alarm goes off way before I'm ready to get out of bed.

"Fuck." My hands fumbled with the buttons. I finally catch the snooze button and I drift off again.

Ten minutes later and it's beeping again. I roll and sit up, my bare feet touching the floor. The cold floor feels nice against my skin. I live in the basement of our house. I get the entire downstairs and it's almost like my own apartment. If only.

I switch the alarm off and run my hands over my face. For a minute, I debate staying home today. I don't really need to go. It's the last few weeks of school and the teachers don't even really care anymore. They're just as ready for the summer as we are.

I brush my teeth and shower, taking a little extra time to shave my face. I dress in faded jeans and a t shirt. I pull on my high top converse and I'm gone.

I drive 5 over the speed limit on my way to school. I'm careful. I don't need a speeding ticket messing with my plans for this summer.

This summer is going to be a good one. I can feel it. It's in the air. It's in the heat from the sun and the way the steering wheel scalds my hands a little when I first get in the car.

I park in the back of the lot and head to my first class. Chemistry.

When I sit on the lab stool, I see her. She walks in and takes her seat and I will my eyes to look away, but they don't listen.

Her hair is up today and it surprises me that I like it just as much up as I do when it's down. Normally, I like when girls wear their hair down. But her, she could cut that shit off and I think I'd still be staring. The bottom of her ponytail skims the middle of her back while she moves. I don't think I've ever wanted to play with hair so much in my life.

She's busy getting stuff out of her bag. Notebook, pen, pencil, energy drink, cell phone, gum. I watch her the whole time. Again, wiling my eyes to look at anything else. Look at the board, look at the teacher, look at your own fucking notebook. But they don't. They just watch her and her pale hands searching through her bag. She's probably the only chick at this school that has pale hands. Arizona doesn't house many pale people. Even my own skin is tan all year round. Even when it's "winter", I'm tan.

Alice walks in and my eyes cut to her. She's surveying the room, seeing who showed up and who didn't. It's a Monday. The last few weeks of school mean people rarely show up on Mondays. I'm a little bit surprised _she _showed up. I thought for sure she'd be with Jasper. I _know _he's cutting today.

She sees Bella and smiles, saying hey before making her way to our table. She slides onto the stool next to mine and bumps my shoulder with hers.

"I didn't think you'd be here today."

I smile, "Yeah, well, I don't want another lecture about attendance and how important it is for me to be here every day. It's easier to just show up."

She laughs a little while getting her own stuff out of her backpack.

"I know what you mean."

We're quiet for a minute while we wait for the bell to ring, signaling the start of class.

"So, this summer..." She starts.

"Yeah."

"Yeah?"

I laugh. "Hell yeah."

….

The next 2 weeks pass by in a blur. I go to class but don't really pay attention. The only class I actually pay attention in is my shop class. It's ironic because I'm not technically in the class. I'm a TA. Teacher's assistant.

I'm here to help grade papers, run errands, keep parts stocked, and keep the teacher happy. I think Mr. Jenks was impressed that I knew so much about cars when I took his class as a sophomore. He made a point to ask me to TA for him this year. I, of course, agreed. And here we are.

He lets me bring my car in to work on, so I don't complain too much when he makes me get him coffee from the office.

I spend most of class working on little things in my car. Changing spark plugs, the oil, brake pads, flushing coolant. Pretty much anything that can be done in an hour and a half, I do. I do some of it 2 or 3 times throughout the year. I don't work on anything that's too time consuming. I save that for home, I have my own makeshift shop in the garage. Plus, I don't need Jenks asking questions.

He's given me some looks this year. The most obvious one when I first brought my car in. I think he was surprised to see some high school kid driving an old Mustang.

The truth is_ I_ would be surprised if I was anyone other than me. But this car was made for me. Sometimes, I swear the steering wheel molds to my fingers. I literally feel it forming to my touch. It makes me seem insane when I say it, but that car is an extension of me in every sense of the word.

My feet touch the pedals like they were connected to bottoms of my shoes. My hand rests on the stick shift and I'm home. It's a comfort I haven't been able to find anywhere else in my life. When I sit in my car, just sit, not even drive, I'm right where I'm supposed to be. Everything lines up and I can see clearly again. Everything fades into the background and I'm just there, in the moment, living.

There is nothing in the world that can compare. Drinking, drugs, pussy, none of it gives me the same feeling that this car gives me.

Sometimes, it makes me sad. The idea that this is the only thing in my life that actually makes me feel alive. That everything else is just habit. I'm just going through the motions, playing the role. Sometimes I think there's something wrong with me, that there's something inside of me that just isn't right. That a hunk of metal shouldn't make me this happy. But it does. And I can't change that.

And even if i could change it, I don't know if I would. This happiness is better than none at all.

...

Chemistry again. It's the last week of school and our class has been cut in half. Everyone's out enjoying the sunshine. They're at the pool drinking or hanging around the skatepark bullshitting.

Not me. I'm in class. I can't let anything mess with this summer. Because of that, I've been to every single class this semester. I'm not about to mess with karma by cutting now.

Something tells me that if I play by the rules, do what I'm supposed to do; I'll be having the best summer of my life.

Summer, summer, summer. There's nothing quite like summer in Arizona. The city just comes to life. The heat brings everyone outside and everyone's half naked trying to stay cool. Girls go everywhere in bikini tops. Tan stomachs and hipbones and shoulder blades are around every corner. Summer.

She's not here today, though. And that makes me perk up a bit. That makes me sit up a little bit and look around the room. She's always here. I don't know if she's ever missed a class. And she's skipping today. She's somewhere having fun and I'm in class.

I'm such a pussy sometimes.

I've watched this girl for 2 years. 2 fucking years and I've barely spoken to her. We've had classes together both years, but we don't run in the same social circles. She's smart. _So _smart. She hangs out with the "good" kids. The kids that don't get themselves into trouble, don't drink, don't smoke, don't swear.

My circle is a little different. Just a little. The people I run with tend to push their parent's limits. We drink, we smoke, and we cuss. A lot. We party on the weekends and we've gotten into trouble with the cops a few times.

I've had one too many lectures from my parents about the effects of alcohol on my teenage brain.

The only real connection we have is Alice. She seems to float between the circles. She fits in everywhere. She's smart. _Really _smart. But she doesn't try that hard in school. She maintains her grades to keep her parents happy, but I know she's capable of a lot more than she leads people to believe. I know she could be taking AP Calculus but she's really taking Algebra II.

She's been friends with Bella for as long as I can remember. They grew up together; they live on the same street. Sometimes when I pick Alice up I see Bella's car in her driveway and I get this weird feeling in my stomach. Like she's right there, right down the road. I could pull into her driveway and tell Alice to see if she wants to hang.

But I never do. Because I'm a pussy sometimes.

I met Alice my sophomore year when I walked in on her and Jasper making out in the shop room. They were huddled in a corner of the garage practically eat each other's faces. Ever since that day, we've been cool.

She comes to some of our parties. Jasper always invites her but she only comes sometimes. She's a good kid, I can tell, but she still likes to push the boundaries sometimes.

We have the best times when she comes. She just has this way about her. She makes everyone smile. When we pass the joint around, she always holds hers in the longest and brags about it.

She's one of the few girls that come around on a regular basis. Most of the girls come and go. They're only here to hook up with a guy. And even then, it's normally a one-time thing. I never see them again and the guys never talk about them again. Alice is always consistent though. They might not give their relationship a title, but I know for a fact that Jasper isn't fucking anyone else. He never even looks at other girls when they come around.

When the bell rings I realize that Alice never came in. She's gone, too. That's weird. I wonder to myself if they're together. Her and Alice. Skipping school. And I'm here. _Pussy. _

And before I can even second guess myself, I hop off my stool and walk right out the door. I just keep walking, brushing past the kids running late to class. I go straight to my car. When I get in, I can finally breathe right.

I tell myself that I have to call her. I have to. I mean, I just walked out of class because they weren't there. I might as well go through with the rest of this plan.

Except, I didn't really plan it out.

Be cool. Just call Alice. She'll be cool. She's always cool.

I pull my cell phone out and hit her contact before I can stop myself. I'm doing this. I have to.

"Hello?"

She picks up way faster than I thought she would and I forget what I was going to say.

"Edward?"

"Where are you? You weren't in class." My voice is too quiet. She's going to know something's up. I'm whispering like the principal will be able to hear me way out here in the parking lot.

"Oh, yeah. We cut today. We're gonna hang by the pool and lounge. It's the last week of school; I don't wanna be there right now."

"Is Jas there?" I'm fishing but I hope she can't tell.

"No, he's coming over in a few hours. It's just Bella, Lauren, and me right now."

Fuck.

Lauren. I don't want to see her right now. At all. I don't know where to go with this now. It seems like whatever I thought was going to happen...isn't.

"Oh, okay. I was just seeing what's up."

"Do you...wanna come over or...?" She trails off. She knows something's up. She knows I'm calling for a reason.

"I'll, uh, I'll come over when Jas does. Is that cool?"

"Yeah, okay. Can you bring beer? We won't have enough for everyone."

"Yeah, that's fine. See you later." I hang up and drop my head to the steering wheel. My hands are a little clammy and I don't know.

Never in my life have I been this nervous when it comes to a girl.

With every other girl, I'm smooth. I'm lukewarm butter. With most girls I don't have to even try. Most of them know who I am and what I do on summer nights and it turns them on. I can't remember the last time I had a real conversation with a girl. Most of the time it's really fast. We talk for a few minutes and then we're sneaking off to a bathroom, a bedroom, a dark corner.

But with this girl, it's different. She makes me nervous. It's her eyes, I just know it. She has these eyes that look right through me. It makes me fidget when she tries to make eye contact with me.

I always end up looking away first. I can't take it.

Those eyes.

Man, I'm such a pussy sometimes.


	3. Almost the Beginning

**A/N: Thank you for reading! **

**Disclaimers: I own nothing and have no beta. You've been warned. **

**Chapter 2**

After I talk to Jasper, I get myself a soda and sit on the curb in front of the gas station. He's going to meet me here and then we'll head over to Alice's house. I sip my soda and stare at the front of my car, trying to decide if I want to put white headlights in. Right now, they're classic yellow lights, but I think white might look good. It would look sick at night, that's for sure.

When I glance up I see Jasper down the street on his longboard. He's cruising down the little hill and has his shirt tucked into his back pocket. I laugh a little because he has a beer in his hand. He just doesn't give a shit. We're definitely not old enough to drink, but he's not worried about being caught.

When he finally gets over to me I nod my head toward my car and we both get in. I throw it in reverse and glance over at him, he's staring at me.

"What?" I laugh at little because he just keeps staring and it's making me uncomfortable.

He narrows his eyes a little bit, "Nothing. I'm just wondering why you were worried about where Alice was today."

I can tell he's not questioning my relationship with Alice by the way he says it. He knows there's something else.

"I wasn't, I just didn't wanna be in class." I try to shrug it off and act cool. I'm going to look really fucking lame if I tell him I'm going because of Bella.

"Is this about Lauren? Are you guys hooking up again?" It would be so easy to concede and make him believe she's the reason I'm going. He would drop it and I wouldn't have to deal with his annoying stare. But I can't do that. If I do, he's going to expect me to go for Lauren and that's not who I want to go for.

"No, man, no. I am _not _going back to that. Ever." Just thinking about it makes my stomach hurt. That chick is crazy.

"Why don't you wanna tell me what's going on?" He's persistent, I give him that. And annoying as fuck.

"Look, dude. There's nothing to tell. I just didn't wanna be at school and I figured Alice was with you. I wanted to see what was up. That's it." I glance over at him and he looks surer than he did a few minutes ago.

"Alright, man. That's cool. Let's go." He sips his beer with his elbow out the window and I crank the stereo.

Wiz Khalifa's "The Thrill" comes on and Jasper lets out a whoop and turns it up even louder.

I look over at him and just smile, "Dude, this summer is gonna be great. I can feel it."

He nods at me, "Right?! It's gonna be awesome."

Jasper raps along to the song, throwing his hands up into sideways peace signs on the drive to the grocery store. He goes in to buy the beer because he has a better fake ID than I do. His is his actual picture, mine is another guy that only looks similar to me. I get too many questions when I try to use it.

He comes back up 5 minutes later with 30 packs in both hands. His smile is huge.

We pull up to Alice's house and now I'm nervous and my stomach hurts. I'm trying to calm myself down but I really don't know how to act around her and it's killing me.

Jasper jumps out of the car as soon as I've put it in park. He grabs his board from the backseat and jogs up to the front door.

He rings the doorbell about a million times before Alice answers it. He just grins when he sees her and she rolls her eyes but steps aside so he can walk through the door. I follow close behind because I do _not _want to be left alone right now.

"Bella and Lauren are out back by the pool. Garrett, Kate, and Marcus are all coming over, too. They should be here soon." She grabs beers out of the fridge while she's talking and tosses me one over her kitchen counter.

I tap the top a few times and open it. After I've taken a few huge gulps, I let out a burp and look out the sliding glass door. I can see her sitting on the edge of the pool, her feet dangling in the water. She's in a dark blue bikini and it makes her look paler than she already is. I keep thinking that she's going to burn to a crisp out in this sun. Her skin's never going to be able to handle it. But then I remember that she's lived here for a few years and probably knows to use sunscreen._ Jesus_, Edward, get it together. She's not a fucking child.

I turn around and Jasper and Alice are staring at me and fuck, they know. They definitely know why I'm here.

Alice is the first one to speak up, "Edward, Bella's a really nice girl and one of my best friends."

I nod my head; I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to say.

"Just, just don't do anything stupid, okay?" She stands in front of me now and looks me right in the eyes.

"I know, Alice." It's her turn to nod and she steps around me to pull the door open. It slides open with a whoosh and I can hear music coming from a stereo outside.

She walks out and I follow with Jasper behind me. He carries one of the boxes of beer outside and empties them into a cooler Alice has set up near the pool. Lauren sees me first and gives me a weird smile. I think she's trying to be sexy but it looks forced and not attractive at all. I smile back because I don't want to start shit today. Not with her here.

"Hey Edward." Lauren's voice is really low when she speaks and it makes me laugh. She's definitely going for sexy…and failing miserably.

"Hey." I glance at her and then back to Bella.

It's like slow motion when her head turns and she looks at me. She smiles at me and man, my heart is beating really fucking fast right now.

"Hey Edward." Just hearing her voice is great. Like I could listen to this girl talk all night and not get sick of it. It's that great.

"Hey Bella." I smile back.

Alice is sitting on the diving board with Jasper next to her. They both have a beer in their hands and she's whispering in his ear. I roll my eyes at them, so fucking cheesy.

I grab another beer and sit in one of the patio chairs. I finish my first one and crack open the new one, immediately taking 2 huge swigs.

Lauren is in the water talking to Bella. They're laughing about something and I'm just staring at the spot where her bikini sits on the middle of her back. It has these brown beads on the ties and they touch together when she laughs really hard. The whole thing is very interesting.

At least, that's the excuse I'm giving myself for staring.

Bella swings her legs out of the pool and walks over to turn the stereo up. She glances over at me while she's bent down and smiles at me.

"Why are you so quiet today Edward?" She smirks a little bit and I chuckle.

"Umm, no reason, I guess. Just observing." She laughs at my response and walks over to the shallow end of the pool.

She slows walks down the steps and into the water. It comes up to her waist and her bikini bottoms are completely under the water. She watches me while she does it and I don't try to hide the fact that I'm watching her right back. The fact that she's staring right at me gives me a little bit more confidence.

I don't know why I'm so shy around this girl. I don't know what it is because normally, I'm not like this. Normally I'm all about the sexual innuendos and my hands on their hips and they _know _I want them. But with her, I'm just not sure what to say.

But this right now, her staring right at me, it gives me the boost I need. I get out of the chair and pull my shirt over my head. My shoes slip off my feet and I reach down to pull my socks off. I unbutton my jeans and I'm staring at her the whole time. Her eyes widen a little bit when I push them down my legs. And then, I'm in nothing by my briefs and she's looking right into my eyes.

I don't go to the stairs like she did. I just walk to the edge of the pool and jump in near her. There's somewhat of a splash and when I open my eyes, her hands are shielding her from the spray of the water. I laugh out loud, I can't help it. She's so fucking cute.

In that moment, I decide to just go for it. Because really, fuck being scared. Fuck being nervous and fuck being a pussy. I want to know what her lips taste like and there's only one way I can make that happen.

I smile and reach out and push her wet hair away from her face. My fingers linger for a few seconds longer than necessary. I'm just happy that I'm touching her. That I'm finally getting this connection that I've been thinking about for so long.

She smiles back at me and man, this feels really good.

It just seems impossible to be this excited about the _idea _of this girl. I don't even know her that well and I'm freaking out. I really need to get that shit under control.

And then Lauren speaks and the moment is ruined. "I need another beer." And I know, I _know, _without even looking at her, that this statement was directed at me.

I glance over at her and she's staring right at me. Us. Bella. And fuck, this is not good.

But, Alice is amazing and my savior. "I got it, Lauren." I watch as she reaches into the cooler and pulls out a beer. She shakes the remaining ice off the can and raises her eyebrows at Lauren. When Lauren holds her hands up, Alice tosses it to her.

Then, Alice looks at me and gives me _a look._ I'm not completely sure what this look is supposed to say, but I nod my head like I do.

Bella must have been watching this exchange because she starts laughing and I look over at her and she rolls her eyes. And then I laugh, too.

I dip myself under the water to avoid conversation and swim toward the deep end. I grab on to the edge of the diving board to keep me above water. It bounces a little bit with my added weight.

I reach my hand out toward Alice and smile, "Please." She digs in the cooler again and hands me a beer. I swim toward the side of the pool and set the beer on the concrete. I pull myself out of the water and sit of the ledge while I drink my beer.

I watch Bella and Lauren race back and forth across the pool and laugh a little bit when Bella floats on her back in the water. Jasper and Alice never get in the pool, even though Alice is in a bikini. They sit on the diving board and then in patio chairs and drink. They laugh a lot and they're always touching.

It's late afternoon when we finally pull ourselves out of the pool. I dry myself off and sneak into Alice's room to change back into my clothes. When I open the door to leave, Bella is leaning against the wall next to the door. She's wrapped up in a towel now and is holding her clothes in her hands.

I smile at her and step to the side so she can go in. But I change my mind at the last minute and I go for it. I have to.

"Would you wanna hang out some time, Bella?" And I'm standing really close to her and it would be so easy to just lean forward and kiss her, but I don't. I'm trying to be casual.

"Umm, I'm actually about to go on vacation for a few weeks. I'm going to Washington to visit my Dad." Her voice is quiet when she responds.

And damn, this feels like a rejection.

But then, "I'll be gone for 3 weeks after graduation. We could do something when I get back?" She says it like a question and I hope she really wants to. I hope she's not thinking this is just a couple of friends hanging out.

"Definitely." I smile at her one more time before I walk down the hall and leave her to change into her clothes.

I go home and lay in my bed and think how great this summer is going to be. I get anxious. I want it to be here already. I want that feeling back. I had it last summer and it slipped right through my fingers.

I remember the lights the most. The flashing. Red, white, and blue.

**A/N: If you haven't, go check out my other stories. Anything that isn't finished **_**is **_**being regularly updated as of now. **


	4. Threshold

**A/N: Thanks to everyone following along! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own it. **

**Edward**

After the day at Alice's, I go to school every day. I tell myself I can't risk it. And really, it's true. If my parents catch wind of me skipping school, they're going to take my car away. They've made this perfectly clear to me after what happened last year.

And if that happens, I'm fucked. My whole summer will be ruined and I'll be stuck at home while everyone else is on the streets.

I think about Bella a lot but don't really talk to her much. We say "hi" in Chemistry and if I see her in the halls, I smile, but that's it. I'm not going to push it with her. I tell myself I should focus on my car. I should be putting any extra time I have into getting it ready.

My first ride out is in 2 weeks and I can't fuck it up.

I buy the new lights and install them, I tweak little things in the engine, and I take it on about a million practice runs. I practice taking turns at high speed and make sure my shifting is really smooth. I think I'm ready and I _know _my car is ready. I just hope nothing gets in the way.

Until I'm sitting in my car, behind that line, I won't believe it. A million things can go wrong between now and then, so until I'm there, I keep myself calm.

…

Graduation comes and goes and it's weird. It's weird to think I'm actually done with school. It's weird to think that I never have to step another foot in a school if I don't want to. That from here on out, it's _my _decision.

My parents are proud of me and they give me a huge wad of cash that night and I'm on cloud nine. It's definitely enough for new tires, which I'm really going to need in a few weeks.

The night of graduation, I go over to Alice's house and hang out with her and Jasper. Her parents are inside, but she says they won't care. We sit around her pool and smoke a joint. We talk about high school and remember all the stupid shit we got into. We talk about last summer and how it changed everything and nothing at the same time. We listen to Kid Cudi and Alice raps along to the songs. We talk about the future and what we want for our lives and if we're going to college.

When I'm leaving, I glanced down the road and I see Bella's truck sitting in her driveway.

Before I can change my mind, I turn toward her house and start walking. When I get to the door, I sniff my shirt to see if I smell like weed. I can't smell it so I ring the doorbell.

She answers the door and looks genuinely surprised to see me. I pull open the screen door and smile at her.

"Hey Bella." I'm just now realizing how late it really is. I stayed over at Alice's later than I thought.

"Hey Edward, what are you doing here?" Her eyes move behind me, I assume she's looking to see if Alice is with me.

"I just wanted to say hey, I was just at Alice's." I try to keep my voice even. I don't want to be nervous around her. I want my usual confidence. I try to make it seem casual that I just randomly showed up at her house.

"Oh, well, hey." She chuckles a little bit and then she blushes. And damn, I wish I could kiss her.

"When do you leave for your vacation?" Now I just seem eager. _Great. _

"Umm, tomorrow morning, actually. I fly out early." She smiles a little bit and I wonder if she's even thinking about hanging out with me. I wonder if she really wants to or if she just said that the other night to get out of an awkward situation.

"That's cool. And you'll be gone 3 weeks?" I know she said 3 weeks, I just want to confirm.

"Yep. I'm back on the first of July." I nod my head and look down at my shoes.

"Would you wanna go out with me sometime? When you get back?" I glance up at her, trying to measure her reaction.

She smiles at me and shifts her weight to her other leg.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" She's teasing me now, but I kindof like it.

"I guess I am, yeah." My smile gets a little bigger when I see her blush again. I haven't even thought about whether or not she has a boyfriend or goes on dates or anything. Now, while I'm waiting for her answer, I think about it and my stomach starts hurting.

"Well then I guess I'm saying yes." My eyes connect with hers again and I'm not sure my smile couldn't get any bigger than it is right now.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, Edward." She's outright laughing at me now and man, when did I become such a nerd?

"Okay, cool." I nod my head and focus on my sneakers.

"Do you want to give me your number or you can take mine or…?" Jesus, Edward. Get it together.

"Yeah, yeah." I pull my iPhone out and hand it to her.

I watch while she puts her number in and sends herself a text. Her hair hangs down in her face when she has her head bent down and I _really _want to push it behind her ear. My hands make fists all on their own.

When she hands it back to me, her finger brushes mine and shit, her skin is really soft. Thinking about that, about how soft she is, how soft she must be _everywhere _else, is making my dick hard.

"Okay, see you when you get back." I smile at her one more time before I turn around and walk down her steps and back toward the sidewalk.

I don't look back when I'm walking; I just keep my eyes on my feet until I get back to Alice's house. When I finally get in my car, I let out a shaky breath. I turn my car on but keep it in park. I change the radio station about 10 times before I finally give up and plug my phone in.

I scroll through my music into I find the song I want. I put my car in drive before pressing play.

When the music starts, my smile is automatic. I roll my windows down and enjoy the slight breeze in the air while Fabulous raps about being so into this girl.

…..

The days pass by in a blur after that. I'm officially done with school and I love it. I sleep in 'til noon every day and stay up way late messing around in the garage. I drink beer during the day with Jasper and we hang out around the skate park and the mall. We drive around going nowhere in particular and stop when we see people we know walking down the street. Everyone asks me about my car and when I'm going to be riding and I tell everyone to come out next week to watch. It gets me that much more excited.

My parents leave me alone for the most part. They're aware that I've fulfilled their one requirement of finishing school and they can't really say much anymore. They check in with me once in a while, but they mostly leave me alone.

They're not stupid people; they know what I'm doing with my car. Ever since last summer, things have been extra real between the three of us. It's like they had a suspicion before, but now they _know _what I'm doing. And there's no hiding it. Of course, they don't want me throwing it in their faces, either. So, for now, I try to be smart about my decisions, even the ones that aren't so smart in the first place. And they look the other way a little bit.

When the night of the race comes, I'm on another level. I haven't been able to sit still all day. I kill most of my day with Jasper, but when the sun sets, I can't stop my leg from bouncing. It's my first ride of the summer and I've got that nervous energy buzzing around in my stomach. I get anxious about an hour before we're supposed to leave and pace in the garage.

I really wish I was the kind of guy that could take a couple of shots before a race, but that's just not me. I refuse to drive if I'm drunk or high, too risky.

When it comes time to leave, I put my hoodie on and get in the car. I'm pulling it out of the garage before Jasper even gets in the passenger seat. He laughs while he jumps in and cracks open his beer.

I roll the windows down and drive the speed limit all the way to the spot we've agreed to meet-up.

It's a long stretch of road on the outskirts of Phoenix. We don't always meet in the same spot, but this is one of the more common locations. I know there are other groups that use this road to race, not just us.

When I pull up to the light on 35th and Baseline, I can see the cars down the street. They're all sitting in the parking lot of an old grocery store that closed down years ago. The flash of paint that catches my eye makes my hands visibly shake.

The adrenaline pushes it's way through my body and I love it. I glance over at Jasper and I can tell my smile is fucking huge.

He lets out a whoop when he sees the cars and he leans out of his window to shout at some of the guys.

Our group has always been really close. We're all very competitive with each other, but we're friends, too. I've known these guys as long as I can remember. We're a family, in our own way. We've fought with each other over the years, but we always come back and work it out eventually.

When I pull into the parking lot, they're around my car before I can even get out. Emmett yanks my door open and practically screams right in my face.

"Edward! Holy shit, man! It's been too long!" And fuck, I was just thinking the same thing.

"What up, mang?" He holds his hand out and my palm slaps his three times out of habit.

Next up is Collin and Brady and right before them is James. The other guys hang back where all the girls are standing. I see Alice in the crowd and wave at her; she blows me a kiss back.

Everyone is laughing and slapping each other on the back and it's a lot of positivity. This is just another reason why I love it, the people.

Laurent is the one who coordinates the races for everyone so he starts around the circle collecting money. The buy-in is $500. That gives me a chance to win $4,500 bucks tonight after Laurent takes his cut. That makes me really fucking happy.

Once he's collected everyone's cash, he tells us to line up. We already agreed in advance that the first race of the summer would be a spot. A spot is basically a race where the underdog gets the advantage. In this situation, the worst cars will start at the front of the pack and the best cars will be in the back.

This means I'm lined up in the second to the last row of cars. We run in 5 rows with 2 cars in each row. Quil and Embry are at the front because their newest to the group and they haven't put much work into their cars. Collin and Garrett are in the 2nd row, Mike and Jenks in the 3rd row, myself and James in the 4th row, and Emmett and Brady in the last row.

Emmett has basically been working on his car since birth. I think his dad started fixing it up as soon as his mom found out they were having a boy. He knows more about cars than anyone I know.

Jasper jogs over to my window and claps me on the shoulder, "You got it, dude. You got this."

I take a deep breath and smile at him, "I know."

Once we have all the cars lined up, everyone else in the crowd, including Jasper and Alice, pile into the back of 2 trucks and head toward the finish line.

Laurent and Felix hang back with the drivers.

Hip hop plays softly in the background of my car and my hands rest on the steering wheel easily. I'm ready. I'm so fucking ready. This moment is always the best. Everything slows down and all I can see is the road in front of me.

The adrenaline makes my heart hammer in my chest and my stomach clench.

Laurent raises his hand in the air and looks to each of us to make sure he has our attention. When he's confident we're all watching him, his hand holds up 3 fingers.

I watch closely as he slowly drops his fingers, one at a time. When his last finger falls, all I hear is tires squealing.

I can't touch the gas until Mike moves so I just keep my foot right above the pedal, ready to go. As soon as I see that Mike has let off the brake and my foot touches my gas pedal.

From there, it's almost automatic. I don't even consciously make decisions on when to shift and when to floor it. It's like my body does it all on it's own. I pass Mike easy and move onto Jenks' tail. He straddles the middle of the road and I move into 3rd gear. My arms jerk to the left and then I'm passing him and I see him glance at me as I go by.

When I get into 4th gear, I'm cruising and my foot might as well be made of lead. I can see Garrett a little ways ahead of me and Collin is right in front of him. A quick glance to my rearview mirror says Emmett is right on my ass.

There's a turn coming up and I know that's my best chance of gaining any ground. I watch as Collin and Garrett both take the turn too wide and I know I got this. When I come up on the turn, my hand automatically moves the shifter down 2 gears and my feet work between the brake and gas. It's an almost perfect corner and damn, that feels good.

I pass Garrett and Collin right out of the turn and then I'm chasing down Quil and Embry. Emmett is still right on my ass and I can see the headlights of James' car behind him. I'm thinking it should be easy to take the lead because of how inexperienced Quil and Embry are. They've only raced maybe 3 or 4 times before, last summer, before we got shut down.

I pick up speed and shift back into 4th gear. Quil doesn't even put up a fight as I pass him. In fact, I think he lets up on the gas a little bit. Embry, however, he fights. He moves in front of my car so I can't pass him and swerves when I try to go around him.

I see the softer curve coming up and I know this is my chance. If I can make this one as perfect as the last one, I got this.

I pick up speed on the flat stretch of road and don't brake or downshift at all going into the curve. I just ride it out. I swing a little wide but it's exactly what I needed to get around Embry.

Now it's just me and Emmett and fuck, he is not going to make this easy on me. He's coming up beside me and I can hear him yelling out his window. I can't make out what he's saying over the wind but I'm laughing anyway because he's _yelling at me_ in the middle of a race.

I can also hear his stereo thumping and it just makes it that much better. He's probably the only dude I know that can be that distracted while driving and still win.

Now, on the second flat stretch, he's pulling ahead of me. And really, his car has a lot more power behind it than mine does, so I'm not expecting any miracles.

I would really be happy with second place in my first race for the summer. That, to me, is okay.

When he gets to be a full car length ahead of me, I know I'm losing this one. And really, I love Emmett, so I'm 100% okay with that.

I even let off the gas and put my car in neutral right before he rolls over the finish line. I coast over and I'm happy.

It's not always about winning for me.

**A/N: Thanks again! Songs referenced are noted below. I'm a hip-hop girl, there will be a LOT of references in this fic. **

**Fabulous-So Into You**

**Kid Cudi-Basically anything from the Man on the Moon: The End of Day**


End file.
